Car construction



Aug. 20, 1929. E'. ZIMMER CAR CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheet-Sheet 1 Filed April 22; 1927 Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT E. ZIMMER, OF CHICAGO, ILIJINOIS, ASSIGHOR TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, 0E CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CAR CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed April 22, 1927. Serial No. 185,723.

This invention relates to improvements in car construction.

In the so-called ore-carrying service of the Great Lakes, it is the standard practice to employ ore cars which are 24 feet from coupling center to coupling center, said cars being made up into trains and run onto the ole docks where the material in the cars is dumped into bins spaced 24 feet center to center. The material from the bins is in turn dumped into ore-carrying steamers.

Owing to the limitations thus placed on the length of ore cars, much difiiculty has heretofore been encountered in obtaining the necessary capacity and at the same time ohtaining the necessary space to accommodate the necessary draft riggings. As will be obvious to those skilled in the art, in order to obtain the maximum carrying capacity, the bolsters must beseparated as far as possible, which, in turn, reduces the available space from the bolsters to the striking plates of the car for accommodation of the draft riggings.

- In such cars, when an attempt has been made to utilize draft riggings of the normal or standard overall length of 24 and inches, great difliculty has been experienced in the insertion and removal of such draft riggings since there is insufficient clearance at the center plate to permit the vertical removal or insertion of the draft rigging with its usual yoke or yoke-acting means. 'Oonsequently, it has been necessary to remove the rivets securing the center plates in order to insert or remove such a draft rigging, which obviously involves a heavy labor expense as well as a considerable loss of time in the operation of the car. To overcome the difficulty mentioned, it has heretofore been sometimes suggested to utilize short draft riggings, but such draft riggings have numerous disadvantages and it is highly desirable that draft riggings of standard size and length be used if possible.

One objectof my invention is to provide a car construction, particularly an ore-carrying car, wherein the center plate arrange-- ment may be located at the minimum distance from the corresponding adjacent end of the car and so arranged that the insertion and removal of draft riggings of standard length, including the usual attachments thereof, may be accomplished with a minimum of effort and without the necessity of removing any rivets or other permanently attached parts of the car structure.

More specifically, an object of my invening area on the center plates is obtained While at the same time one of the plates is recessed or cut away so as to provide clearance for draft rigging parts for the insertion or removal of draft rigging parts, the cutaway portion of the platebeing compensated for by easily removable and attachable means.

A still more specific object of my invention is to provide a center plate structure for a car wherein the body bolster center plate is recessed for clearance purposes. The lesser bearing area due to the recessing of the plate is compensated for by the use of a removable and detachable shim that is adapted to interlock with the center plate member.

Other and further objects of the invention will more fully and clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming a partof this i:

specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the end portion of a car embodying my improvements. Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. l as viewed on a line 22 and having some of the parts removed for the purpose of better illustrating the construction. Figure 3 is a detached plan view of the center plate shim shown in Fig. 1. Figure 4 is a sectional view of the shim shown in Fig. 3 and taken on a 1 line 44 of the same. Figure 5 is a fractional sectional elevational view such as shown in Fig. 1 illustrating a modified construction. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 illustrating another modification. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 illustrating still another modification. Fig. 8 is a view of a body center plate showing a modified construction wherein openings in the center plate are formed on both sides thereof instead pler carry iron at 12 having a wear plate 13 and supported by the bolt 14. At the bolster, a filler 15 is interposed between and riveted to the center sills and has attached to the underside thereof the customary bolster bottom cover plate 16. The center bearing structure comprises, broadly, a body bolster center plate 17, a truck bolster center plate 18, and an interposed shim or plate 19. In dotted lines, I have indicated the outlines of a cast yoke 21 of a standard length draft rigging, the key usually employed with said yoke and which passes through horizontally elongated slots in the center sills being shown in full. The usual stop lugs 21 and 21 of the standard distance apart are indicated, it being understood that the front and rear followers of the draft gear proper will cooperate therewith in the usual manner. The draft rigging is supported in operative position by the saddle plate 21.

The body center plate 17 includes a fixed body portion 22 riveted to the body of the car 'as indicated at 23 and a bearing section 24,, said bearing section, which includes bearing face 25, being substantially circular in outline with a cutaway portion 26 which provides an opening in the body portion of the center plate and serves to give the bearing portion an irregular contour. The cutaway portion or recess 26 is in alignment with the draft yoke 21 when the latter is in normal position, so that the yoke can be inserted or removed vertically past the body and bearing portions of the center plate without the necessity of removing the center plate from the car. The vertical wall portion of the bearing portion of the center plates also have to withstand considerable thrust in the direction of movement of the car during movement of the car, and in stopping and starting, and consequently I find it desirable to compensate for the cut-out portion 26in the body bolster center plate by inserting a filler member to restore the circularity of the cen- 'ter plate, to provide a continuous solid abutment against which the vertical wall portion 'of the truck center plate will bear, and to compensate for the removed portion of the bearing area. The preferred manner of compensating for the cut-out portion is to provide a circular fiat shim, such as shown at 19 in Figs. 1, 3 and 4E, and to form integrally therewith a vertical projection 27 adapted to conform substantially to the shape of the opening 26 in the body center plate. In this manner the shim is locked relatively to the body center plate against turning. Said shim 19 is preferably strengthened with a continuous flange 28 which joins with the up standing projection 27 and in conjunction therewith provides a continuous circular bearing contour adapted to contract with the full area of the truck center plate. The shim center sills are indicated at 110, the bolster fillercasting at 115, the bottom cover plate at 116, the body bolster center plate at 117, the truck bolster bearing plate at 118 and the interposed shim at 119. In this particular modification, the annular flange around the shim, such as indicated at 28 in the first modification is omitted, the shim plate 119 being provided with an upstanding projection 127 adapted to enter the recess in the body bolster center plate 117, which is formed substantially identical with that shown in the first modification described.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 6, the center sills are indicated at 210, the filler casting at 215, the cover plate at 216, the body bolster center bearing plate at 217, the shim at 219 and the truck bolster bearing plate at 218. In this construction, the centering boss or sleeve 229 is formed on the shim plate 219 instead of on the truck bolster bearing plate, it being evident that said sleeve enters the corresponding recess pro vided on the underside of the body bolster center plate 217. In this modification also, the shim plate 219 is provided with an upstanding lug or projection 227 adapted to fill the corresponding opening or recess provided in the body bolster bearing plate 217 Wl11Cl1 is made the same as illustrated in the 'ment is substantiallyidentical with that shown in the first modification except that the shim plate 319 is provided with an upstanding sleeve or boss 329 instead of the same being provided on the truck bolster center plate 318.

p In the modification illustrated in Figure 8, the body bolster center bearing plate is of reversible type and to this end is provided with two recesses or cut-out portions e26 l26 at diametrically opposite points and of like contour so that either side of the plate may be presented nearest to the end of the car. 1t is obvious that corresponding changes will be made in the shim plate to be used therewith so as to compensate for the cutaway portions of the body bolster center plate.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim 1. In car construction, the combination with an underframe including draft sills; of a body bolster center plate secured to said underframe, said center plate being recessed at the portion thereof nearest the corresponding adjacent end of the car, said plate being so located that the inner end of the yoke-acting means of a draftrigging mounted between said sills normally occupies a position above said recess, whereby the inner end of said yoke-acting means may be inserted and removed vertically through said recess and the center of said plate located a minimum distance from the end of the car.

2. In car construction, the combination with an underframe including draft sills; of a body bolster center plate secured to said underframe, said center plate being recessed at the portion thereof nearest the corresponding adjacent end of the car, said plate being so located that the inner end of the yokeacting means of a draft rigging mounted betweensaid sills normally occupies a position above said recess, whereby the inner end of said yoke-acting means may be inserted and removed vertically through said recess and the center of said plate located a minimum distance from the end of the car; and detachable means associated with said center plate having a portion thereof to compensate, in bearing area, for the recess of said plate.

3. In a railway car, a center bearing having a removable member of circular formation and a fixed member of non-circular formation; and elements formed on said members for detachably interlocking the said members to cause the said members to function without relative movement as a unitary structure.

4. In a railway car, the combination with the center sills and the body bolster; of a body center plate secured to said body bolster in line with said center sills; and a coupler attachment disposed between the center sills above the center plate, said plate having an opening therein whereby the coupler attachment may be displaced vertically past the center plate.

5. In a railway car having a buffer block and center plate, the distance between which is relatively short, a draft rigging attachment having a portion thereof adapted to project to a point above said center plate, the latter being provided with an opening whereby the draft rigging attachment may be moved vertically past said center plate, and detachable means having a portion thereof adapted to enter and close said opening in the center plate and to thereby increase the effective bearing area thereof.

6. In a railway car, a center plate having a cutaway portion formed on the contour; and means adapted to fill said cut away portion, said means including a shim having a proj ection adapted to register with said cut away portion.

7 A body center plate having a cut away portion in the bearing surface thereof adapted to present an opening whereby a removable draft member may be inserted past the center plate; and means for sealing the said opening, said means comprising a member having an upstanding projection to register with the opening in the center plate.

8. A sectional center plate structure having a fixed body portion with an opening therein; and a shim of greater area then the said fixed portion, and means for detachably interlocking said shim and fixed portion, whereby said shim and fixed portion will function as a unitary structure.

9. In a railway car, the combination with the body bolster and the truck bolster; of center plate members fixed respectively to each of said bolsters, the center plate member fixed to the body bolster having a bearing surface of lesser extent than the center plate member fixed to the truck bolster; a shim member interposed between said center plate members, said shim member having substantially the same area as the truck center plate member; and means for maintaining said shim member in fixed relation to the body center plate member.

10. In a railway car; the combination with body and truck bolsters each having a center plate member attached respectively thereto, said body center plate member having a lesser bearing area than the truck center plate mem her to provide clearance for the insertion of draft gear attachments to a point above the plane of the truck center plate; and means for increasing the bearing area of the body center plate substantially to the same extent as that of the truck center plate.

11. In a car, the combination with the under structure thereof, including draft sills; of a center plate co-operating with said under structure, said center plate being recessed at the portion thereof nearest the corresponding adjacent end of the car, said plate being so located that the inner end of the yoke acting means of a draft rigging mounted between ALBERT E. ZIMMER. 

